The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee, hip, and lower back pain disabilities due to a duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The February 2021 medical opinions were found inadequate as they did not address the Veteran's lay testimony regarding self-treatment and subsequent chiropractic care.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee, right knee, right hip, lower back pain, left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25058575
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lower back pain, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for lower back pain to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding its etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left knee and right shoulder disabilities, along with compensation benefits awarded under 38 USC § 1151 for a right bicep detachment during shoulder surgery, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from December 22, 2011 to December 11, 2016.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance, as her need for assistance is not solely due to service-connected disabilities.
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